


And How Was Your Day

by dsa_archivist



Category: due South
Genre: Episode Related, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-04-15
Updated: 1999-04-15
Packaged: 2018-11-11 01:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11138784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: Here's one for all the Diefenlovers out there -- as if one "Day Off" could ever be enough for him.





	And How Was Your Day

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

And  
How Was Your Day?
    
    
    Here's
    one for all the Diefenlovers out there -- as if one "Day Off" could ever
    be enough for him.  Thanks to Patricia and "you know who you are" for
    the Chicago help. --kb
    
    
    
    # AND HOW WAS YOUR DAY?
    
    
    by Katrina Bowen
    
    **Closer.  Closer.  Not yet ... NOW.**
    
    With a mighty leap, Diefenbaker soared past the hot dog vendor, neatly
    snagging the wiener in transit.  Ignoring the fat man trying to catch
    up to him, he galloped into the welcoming shelter of the small grove
    of trees. The wolf hunkered down and proudly consumed his prize.  **Hmmph,
    and He thinks I've forgotten how to hunt.**  Actually, Dief was beginning
    to consider himself an authority on hot dogs.  Since slipping away from
    Willie earlier in the day, he'd snagged four of them (not that he'd actually
    eaten the one with sauerkraut -- what the hell was that about?), as well
    as a soft pretzel and two ice cream cones.  He was rapidly becoming the
    scourge of Grant Park.
    
    He stood and shook himself.  This wasn't so different from the woods,
    he reflected.  **Plenty of food, if you know where to find it.  Good
    places to hide.  Just more humans to deal with.**  Dief's only worry
    was dog catchers, but he'd found ways to deal with that, too.  Simply
    hiding was really the easiest solution, but he also liked sidling up
    to friendly-smelling people and whimpering pathetically.  They were usually
    willing to pretend to own him for a few minutes.  Then he'd be on his
    way, with at least a good scratch behind his ears or, if he was exceptionally
    lucky, something to eat.
    
    **Well, this place is about hunted out.**  He trotted in the direction
    of a small pond -- so far, he hadn't been able to convince anyone that
    they should buy him a Coke, and he was getting thirsty.
    
    Suddenly, he stopped and lowered his head.  A small child, with no parent
    in sight, was toddling determinedly toward the water's edge.  **Just
    like a human,** he thought disgustedly.  **Always losing track of their
    cubs.** He ran over and skidded to a stop in front of the little boy.
    He plopped to a sitting position and gave the child his best lupine grin.
    
    The child stared goggle-eyed for a few seconds, then giggled.  "Doggy!"
    he crowed, and threw his arms around Dief's neck.  The wolf endured that
    briefly, then stood up and gently butted the boy in the chest.  He sat
    down on the grass.  Satisfied, Dief laid down in front of him, blocking
    any possible access to the water.  They spent a pleasant few minutes
    together, the child cheerfully trying to poke out Dief's eyes, the wolf
    patiently dodging.
    
    Finally, Dief felt thudding footsteps, and he looked up.  A panicky young
    woman came running up, and she fell to her knees besides the child. "Oh,
    Matthew!"  She picked up the little boy, who started squealing and squirming
    to get back to his new friend.  "Oh, you good dog!"  She leaned over
    and hugged Dief, who pulled away.  **Maybe next time you'll watch him
    better.**  He glowered at the woman, licked the little boy once and went
    on his way.
    
    Dief wandered around a few minutes.  He looked at the sky -- it was a
    little past noon.  **I probably should get back to the apartment ...
    Willie might be worried about me.  And I know He's going to give me a
    lecture again.** A new scent caught his nose.  **But not quite yet ...**
    
    ****************************************************************************
    
    Dief lay on his side, back in what he now considered his grove of trees.
    **Maybe the cotton candy was too much,** he decided, panting.  **Or maybe
    it's just one chili dog too many.**  Sighing, he slowly rose.  Fraser
    was always telling him to walk more; it was probably good advice.  Not
    that he saw any reason to admit that to Fraser.  The human was the most
    important thing in Dief's life, but there *was* such a thing as dignity.
    
    He slowly made his way down a winding path.  **All right, enough
    walking,** he decided five minutes later.  He sat down in front of two
    teenage boys sitting on a bench.  Bored, he started watching their conversation.
    
    "No way!  I'm not gonna just walk up to Vanessa and ask her out!  She's
    gonna laugh at me, man."
    
    "Uh-uh, Tyrus.  Chong says Ivy said that Melanie told Rachel that Vanessa
    told her that she liked you."
    
    "No way!"
    
    "Oh, come on!  Melanie's her sister -- she oughta know, right?"
    
    "I don't know, Ed."  Tyrus looked at a girl sitting on a bench several
    yards away, pretending to get a schoolbook out of her bookbag.  "I mean,
    look at her.  How am I supposed to start a conversation with someone
    like her?" 
    
    Dief snorted.  **It's a wonder they ever manage to reproduce.**  He went
    over to Vanessa and sat down in front of her.  As she looked up, he raised
    his left paw winsomely.
    
    "Oh, hello there."  Vanessa reached down and shook his paw, pushing her
    long blonde hair over her shoulder.  "Who do you belong to?"
    
    **And now that I have her attention ...** Dief carefully took the bag's
    handle in his mouth and carried it over to Tyrus and Ed's bench.  He
    dropped it at Tyrus's feet and sat grinning as Vanessa ran after him.
    
    Tyrus stood up in shock.  "Uhh, Vanessa!  Um, hi."
    
    "Oh.  Hi.  Is that your dog?  He's cute."  Vanessa tried to look calm
    and collected; she almost succeeded.  Ed just sat back and grinned.
    
    "Dog?"  Tyrus looked around, baffled.  Dief cocked his head and looked
    up at him.  "No, he's not.  Must be a stray.  Uh, you know, Vanessa,
    there's a party at Steve's this weekend, and I was, um, if you're not
    busy or anything, maybe you and I could -- I mean, if you wanted to,
    we could --" 
    
    Vanessa blushed a little.  "I'd love to go with you, Tyrus."
    
    "Really?"  Tyrus picked up Vanessa's bag, and they started walking back
    to her bench.  "Cause my brother already said I could borrow his car
    ..." 
    
    Ed looked down at Dief.  "Way to go, cupid.  I've been trying to get
    them together for a month."  He took something out of his jacket pocket.
    "Here, have a Twinkie."
    
    Dief sighed, but he took the Twinkie.  **Eat when you can -- you never
    know when the food will run out.**  That was the first rule he had learned
    in the wild, and it was hard to overcome.
    
    ****************************************************************************
    
    **Aahhhh ... I have to do this more often.  Maybe I can even convince
    Him to come with me sometime.**
    
    Judging by the sun, it was a bit past two o'clock.  Reluctantly, Diefenbaker
    stood up, dislodging the puppy chewing on his front paw.  **That's it
    for now, youngster.**  Badly needing a rest, he had laid down on a blanket
    next to a young woman sunning herself, and had been promptly set upon
    by a four-month-old basset hound.  The woman had sat up and said, "Knock
    it off, Sharky."  The puppy ignored her, and she shrugged
    helplessly at Dief.  "Humor him, will you?"
    
    Dief was happy to do so.  The puppy reminded him a little of his own
    cubs, still with their mother.  **Just not nearly as bright,** he thought
    tolerantly. Still, enough was enough, and his paw was getting soggy.
    With one last nuzzle, he finally set out on his way home.
    
    ****************************************************************************
    
    "All right, Willie.  He's done this before -- he'll go back to the apartment
    when he's stuffed himself.  No, I don't blame you.  I blame *him*.  He's
    old enough to know better.  Yes, I'll see you later.  Yes, you'll still
    get paid for today, Willie."  Ben hung up the phone, and looked up as
    Ray came charging across the precinct room.
    
    "Come on, Fraser.  Huey just called in a hostage situation down on West
    Washington.  Bunch of school kids on a bus, going home from a field trip."
    He grabbed his coat.
    
    "Won't Lt. Welsh object if I get involved in another case?"  Ben stood
    and pulled his tunic straight.
    
    "Not this time, Benny."  Ray paused in putting on his coat just long
    enough to grin at the Mountie.  "Huey says there are reports of, and
    I quote, a large white dog nosing around the door of the bus.  Just before
    he disconnected, he said the dog -- and I think you and I both know who
    that really is --had apparently cornered one of the bad guys and was
    sitting on him."
    
    "Oh, for heaven's sake."  Ben followed Ray out the door.  "Ray, if you
    should ever be in a position where you have to choose between dying and
    letting a wolf save your life, think long and hard about which you choose.
    Sometimes the price is simply too high."
    
    The End
    *************
    
    Katrina Bowen --
    
    "Super heroes and evil twins go together like peanut butter and -- and
    evil peanut butter!"  _Earthworm Jim_
    


End file.
